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A resumption of our look at current and historic ride manufacturers in the funfair industry sees us looking at the now defunct company of Frank Hrubetz.

Dating from 1939 and at one time the second biggest ride builder in the U.S.A., the company finally closed its doors in 1992.

Frank Hrubetz originally worked at the Eyerly Aircraft Company, which was a well know manufacturer of aerial rides, based originally on a training device they designed for pilots. That company went on the develop the Loop a plane and roll a plane, two of its best selling designs which Hrubetz helped design.

In 1941 a partnership was formed with Earl 0. Bushnell to create Hrubetz and Bushnell. In addition to amusement rides they also manufactured heavily for the war effort during World War 2.

Hrubetz Rides

The main stay of the Hrubetz range were;

Paratrooper – Suspended seats with a canopy over the top to resemble parachutes.

Round Up – Also known as a meteorite in the UK, rides sit inside a cage which rotates at high speed sticking them the the mesh panels

Tip Top – A cross between a UK trabant and a waltzer ride, not really seen in the UK.

Fireball – Basically what we would call an octopus in the UK

Spitfire – Another oddball not seen over here. A weird cross between a paratrooper and a dive bomber.

The Hrubetz era came to and end, when Frank Hrubetz retires and sold his business to his son-in-law who renamed it Kilinski Manufacturing Company. This eventually became ManCo, then Datron Industries Inc.

In 2009 Battech Enterprises purchased the assets of Datron and continue to service some of the Hrubetz range in the present day.

Resources: Battech Enterprises